


Come Out at Night

by TheSunEater



Series: Soulmate/Soulmark AUs [8]
Category: Let's Play (Webcomic), Let’s Play, Let’s play comic, let’s play(webtoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternative Universe - Soulmark, F/M, Mention of Sam Young, Monica POV mostly!, Monica and Charles are cousins au, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Viewtube, uh there’s angst but happy ending!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-06-15 22:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15422838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSunEater/pseuds/TheSunEater
Summary: At the age of sixteen, you can start the search for your soulmate. All you have to do is touch them, if you haven’t already, and you would share a unique mark..As well as each other’s major pains..Nothing could go wrong, it was a perfect system..Right?





	1. Dark Night

**Author's Note:**

> Notes:  
> Yellow and Purple Striped Carnations symbolism - The stripes represent refusal. The yellow represents rejection, disdain, disappointment. The purple represents capriciousness, whimsical, changeable, unreliability.  
> Lavender symbolism - Devotion as true as any, but also initial distrust  
> Soulmark AU brief explanation: At the age of sixteen, you start being able to see your soulmark which is a mix of two images that represent you and your soulmate. If you touched your soulmate before turned sixteen, you wake up with the tattoo wherever you touched. If you touch your soulmate after you’re sixteen, you automatically will have the mark. That means sometimes, one person will have the mark, but their soulmate may not develop it until later.  
> There’s no pain associated with the mark itself, it’s there until your soulmate dies, then it fades to a faint outline. When your soulmate receives a serious injury or is in serious pain, you feel it.  
> I hope that covers everything!  
> Enjoy!

Monica would not say she was a pessimist, just a realist.

Though some people that heard her opinions on soulmarks and soulmates seemed to disagree. They were free to, of course!

She just saw the world for what it was, not what it might be one day.

For some, it was brilliant now, but for others? Not so much.

* * *

It wasn’t just her own soulmark that made her develop such strong opinions on them, oh no!

Monica had grown up seeing what could happen if one met their soulmate at the wrong time.

Charles’ struggle to maintain hope had lasted years. Years during which countless video and phone calls had happened, some more tearful then others.

She never thought badly of Sam once she met her, but Monica couldn’t deny she had carried resentment toward her when she had been an unknown. Who was it that had taken Charles’ hope? That had made him guarded?

_It wasn’t fair!_

You had one person made for you out of billions of people, the world was so big! What if you couldn’t find them?

* * *

Of course, her judgement on the process of finding one’s soulmate had not just been solidified by that.

When she had been less skeptical and more willing to believe. There had been many times in the years after she matured where she’d look at her skin after making contact with anyone. No mark showed up, no soulmate.

The hope started to fade with the months that passed by, until she stopped looking for a mate and started looking for views.

The love and the hate she received from viewtube was a blessing, though some would have thought it a curse, a distraction from her disappointments. _An opportunity to search more_.

Still, even as ‘ _GiltzKitten_ ’ became a household name in viewtube and makeup.. Monica was still subconsciously searching, even if her eyes had stopped.

_Who said you needed your soulmate? She didn’t need a mark to feel complete._

Monica was fine, actually she was better then fine, she was fantastic. Not everyone was lucky enough to find their other halves.

* * *

Another year, another gathering of viewtubers.

The beauty guru was keeping it simple this time. Simply putting her hair in a simplistic but sleek bun, wearing a black dress and donning teardrop earrings. “And voila!”

She headed out to the party.

Soon enough, she stopped by the bar as she knew, she would need a fruity drink in hand to get through this night.

Most of the people here she met at every gathering, but few of them ever dropped their social facades. Monica’s own was currently up as she winked at the bartender and passed him a tip, before turning to go socialize.

As the party went on, she found herself glad she’d been smart enough to stop by the bar first. Her voice would have been gone with the amount of niceties she had exchanged with others so far.

It was no surprise to her when one of the upcoming gamers succumbed to just that. She didn’t get a chance to see his face as he turned away to ask one of Jesters channel’s duo where the water was being kept. After he walked in the opposite direction of the bar, Monica spoke up in a bland drawl. “I’m pretty sure the water is by the bar, isn’t it?”

The Jester only grinned and shrugged, about to open the water bottle he’d just gotten himself. “Oops?”

“Oops, indeed.” Monica swiped the bottle and walked off after.. Mark? Max? Marshall. Hips swaying as she briskly walked along.

_Ah, there he was._

“Marshall.” The woman smiled as he turned automatically and tossed him the water bottle. He blinked as he caught it, clearly dazed. “You shouldn’t listen to the Jesters.”

“Thanks, Monica.” He seemed flustered, but Monica couldn’t help but move a bit closer to him. Least she have to use her viewtube voice at all times.

“Anytime you need me.” He blinked at her, his face growing more flushed as they ended up face to face and the innuendo settled in.

“Feel free to say no Marshall, but..” She paused and gently placed a hand on his shirt, smoothing a clear wrinkle as his lips parted silently. “We’re the hottest people here. Wanna fuck?”

_Even looking back on it, she swore in that moment he looked like his head would explode_.

She had smiled, genuinely for the first time in what was probably days, and he seemed to relax. There was a part of her brain screaming ‘ _What are you doing!?_ ’ but there was an even  _bigger_ part cheering her on for her bravery.

She was not disappointed, thankfully, as he slung an arm around her waist, carefully avoiding her skin. Whether out of fear or respect, Monica did not know, but she had her mind on other things clearly.

“Let’s go.” Monica found herself looking into Marshall’s eyes as he spoke, steadying herself by holding onto his upper arm. “Is your place closer or mine?”

Monica tilted her head toward the exit, before pulling her phone out. “Let’s get a move on and see?”

The man nodded and led her outside, much to her excitement.

_There was just something there_.

* * *

The next morning, Monica woke up feeling more refreshed then she had in weeks. Which didn’t bode well for business at her usual spa.

She got up after stretching, yawning as she left her room and heading to the beathroom. “I should probably check if Marshall left..”

A smile worked its way onto her face as she thought back to the last night. One night stands were a thing that she had discovered in recent months.

Many soulmate-less people, _like herself_ , needed company and if one was safe? What was the harm? There was none, but she had to admit, the feeling she had after her night with Marshall was.. _new_.

She brushed her teeth with her eyes still half closed as her thoughts ran away. After that was done, she blindly tied her knotted hair into a high ponytail and left the bathroom. “I’ll do my routine facial stuff after I get my cereal..”

She muttered about this and that as she entered the kitchen. She didn’t notice the note that sat on her counter until she sat down, a few spoonfuls of cereal down.

She picked it up, eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the unfamiliar handwriting, until the words clicked.

Her spoon clattered from her grip as she read, her heartbeat pounding away as she finished the note.

‘ _Monica, I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t know you were my soulmate. You’re wonderful I just don’t want this, I’m sorry. I can’t do this, I’m sorry_.’

Monica had stood up from her chair, note still clutched in a death grip as she’d stumbled toward the bathroom. The woman had slammed the door open, not noticing as beauty products that had sat on a stand behind the door fell to the floor.

She had stood in front of mirror, gasping as she hesitantly and carefully touched the fresh soulmark on her neck.

Tears had filled her eyes as she had backed away from her reflection, inhaling and exhaling sharply. “No.. no, no, no. _No!_ ”

_There had been no need to sign his name on the note really as he had signed her skin with yellow and purple striped carnations along with simple lavender_..

“Damn you, Marshall Law!”

Monica had slid to the floor of her tiled bathroom floor, pulling her knees to her chest as she had begun to sob.

* * *

Monica’s fingers shook as she had picked up her phone. After a few tries, she eventually had managed to get to the phone application, dailing her cousin.

She had almost given up on reaching him, when the call finally connected and she heard his familiar voice. _Teasing and light_. “Monica? It’s kind of early for you to be up, isn’t it?”

She had bit her lip as he teased her, lips twitching automatically up with affection, but when she had opened her mouth to retort.. Monica had found she could barely let out a hitched breath.

“Monica?” It had only been when she heard the change in his voice to one of concern and care, did she break.

Tears poured as she had sniffled roughly and barely choked out. “C-Charles. My s-soulmate didn’t want me.”

The last word had come out as a wail and his gasp was the only thing audible before curses had left his mouth. “I’m on my way. Hush now, stop crying. If that idiot didn’t want you, he’s an idiot and a blind one at that.”

The beauty guru just let out a wounded noise and Charles cursed again. “Hey, at least I’m in the same city now right?”

Monica had nodded silently and clutched tighter at her phone, swallowing roughly.

That was right, she had her family.

_She would be fine, she had never needed her soulmate and wouldn’t start to now._

At least, that was what she had always said, right? “Hurry up, Charles. _Please_.”

She knew he was saying something, but all she could focus on was the tiny note growing more and more crumpled in her shaking hands.

 


	2. Bright Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Dread

It was days later when someone knocked on Monica’s door. The woman hadn’t been expecting anyone.

Hell, she hadn’t seen anyone outside of Charles and a couple of her close friends as of late.

The woman walked over to where she had been lounging on her couch, hair loose and wild around her bare face. As she walked up to the door, she set down the bag of potato chips she’d been clutching on the counter and called out as she dusted off her hands. “Coming!”

Maybe she should have been paying more attention, but in her defense, she had not slept much recently. Shooting for videos, entertaining guests and well, stress eating had taken high priority. While her emotions?

_They_ _had_ _been_ _shoved_ _way_ _down_ _on_ _the_ _ladder_.

It was after a minute or so that she walked to her apartment’s door and opened it. Not looking up at first, as she had been typing away furiously to the would-be, _might_ - _be_ manager of her upcoming clothing line, she spoke a bit distractedly. “Give me a second, let me just send thi-“

“Monica.” The sound of that familiar voice caused her freeze. It chilled her to the core, even as she slowly looked up from her phone to the man in front of her, Marshall.

Her emotions, her reactions seemed sluggish, registering only after he stepped into her apartment and she stepped further back. There was an apologetic and earnest look on his face as reentered her space, closing the door behind him.

“Monica..” He said again, reaching out to her as he began to speak. Only to have his hands slapped away automatically by the beauty guru.

“No.” She said the word quietly and without the anger that simmered beneath the surface. It was unclear, even to herself, what she was saying no to, but the word was enough to make Marshall back off.

* * *

 They stood like that for a moment, before Marshall again awkwardly tried to advance, opening his mouth to say something.

Monica looked at him with wild eyes before she cut him off, voice hoarse with emotion. “No. No! You don’t get to come back here after- after!”

It felt pathetic, to not even be able to say it, all that he had done and put her through. It frustrated her to no end..!

Maybe that was brought her to grabbing the plastic cup that one of her friends had left on her counter and tossing it down at his feet. If asked later, she would say she didn’t remember doing it.

Only the stunned look on Marshall’s face after and the _ugly_ feeling of bitter satisfaction that had curled in her stomach in that moment.

It had been a few long minutes, during which neither of them spoke or looked away. The most movement coming from her hands shaking and her chest heaving.

She didn’t know if had been foolishness or bravery, but Marshall was the next one that moved. For some reason she stood still as he approached her and took her hands in his. She swallowed roughly as she continued to frown at him, though the strength of it faded even then.

“Monica.” He said her name like a prayer as his eyes caressed every inch of her face. She looked back at him, not sure what to say as he waited.

He continued to speak after she said nothing. “Monica, I didn’t plan to find my soulmate that night. No, let me finish, please.”

He said this as Monica tried to struggle away from him and continued to speak, talking faster as he tried to maintain eye contact with her. “I panicked and I couldn’t think beyond the negatives, the horrible ‘ _what_ _ifs_ ’. I ran because I thought it would make things better or, at least, easier.”

She looked up at him, hurt and anger clear in her eyes as well as her expression. He sighed and smiled ruefully, regretfully. “I messed up.”

Her heart stopped and she froze, trying to stifle what hope had bubbled up in her heart with those simple words.

Yet the words that had been on that damned note ‘ _Monica,_ _I’m_ _sorry_ _about_ _last_ _night._ _I_ _didn’t_ _know_ _you_ _were_ _my_ _soulmate_. _You’re_ wonderful _I_ _just_ _don’t_ _want_ _this_ , _I’m sorry. I just can’t_   _do this, I’m s_ _orry._ ’ were still carved on her heart.

* * *

 She spoke, glad her voice came out even even if it was soft, as she looked at him. “You don’t want me.”

He had begun to shake his head even before she finished talking. Quick to answer the unspoken question and fill in the blanks. “No, I wanted you. I just didn’t want a _relationship_! My fans, this life, _our_ _lives_.. Monica. I didn’t want the backlash and the struggles.”

That little bit of hope gnawed it’s way further through her heart and she looked at him as she judged the sincerity of his words. “And? What brought you back? What changed Marshall?”

His gaze dropped and with it her hopes, her energy. She had stopped fighting, but suddenly she didn’t known if she could if he said something that would require her to.

It was all made void in a moment however, when he spoke again. “I called down and I thought about it, clearly. I like you Monica, a lot. I want to try.”

She opened her mouth, not sure what she would say or would have said then, but again was saved as Marshall continued to speak. “I probably don’t deserve another chance, but we’re each other’s soulmates for a reason. Right? Do you want to give us a try, Monica? Monica!?”

She blinked at him in surprise as he finally let go of her hands and moved even closer to her, pressing his palms to her face. She shot him a confused look, until he wiped the tears she hadn’t known were on her face away with his thumbs. “Oh.”

She laughed softly as the little sound left her, her lips curving up into a fragile smile. It took all of the courage she had left to place her hands on his forearms and to look him in the eye then, finally speaking. “I don’t know if this will work, Marshall but..”

His facial expression had started to fall but soon hope filtered through onto it again as she spoke. “I want to try. I like you too and I want to believe. I want..”

She wanted to _love_.

However all she could do now was squeeze his arms gently and smile wider back at him as he grinned sunnily. Apparently, what she said was enough for him, because Marshall’s arms automatically encircled her and he held her close as he pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“I won’t let you regret this.” He swore quietly, clinging onto her. It was all she could do not to cry more as she closed her eyes and pressed her hands to his chest.

It was here that she felt safe and cherished, here that she felt almost complete, almost loved..

“I won’t let you regret it either.” She whispered, opening her eyes and looking up at him before he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

_Yeah at this point, even Monica had to admit, maybe matches were made for a reason._

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me at @TheSunEater_ on twitter! Comments, kudos and donations are all very appreciated!


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